1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates primarily to an anchor for securing a guitar string to a guitar bridge, however, the anchor can just as well be employed to other musical instruments and even to other applications beyond musical instruments, such as anchoring a cable on a vehicle bridge and more generally to any application that requires a cable with an enlarged, or ball end, including a wire rope, to be secured under tension.
2. Prior Art
Quality of sound from a guitar is enhanced through the construction of the guitar body, or guitar box, with an internal cavity in which acoustical waves resonate. Similar guitar strings mounted to different guitars will produce a different sound because of the construction of the guitar body. Curvatures and woods employed in the body will produce a different resonance. Primarily, acoustical vibrations are transferred from a vibrating string through the guitar sound hole. However, a significant contribution is obtained in the transfer of vibrations from the string directly to the guitar body through the mount of the string body end to the body through a guitar bridge and bridge plate, which are permanently mounted rearward of the guitar sound hole in normal guitar construction sandwiching a portion of the guitar body between them. It follows that the bridge may be used not only to secure the string body end on one side of the guitar sound hole but also to serve as a conduit of string vibration energy from the string to the guitar top. Thus, to optimize transfer of vibration energy through the bridge and bridge plate it is required that the connection be as solid as possible. A less solid connection will dissipate string vibration energy without optimum conduction to the guitar top.
It is thus advantageous to provide a best connection between the string and the guitar top. This is obtained by securing the string firmly against the bridge and bridge plate, which are mounted to the guitar top. It has been found that a solid connection to the bridge results in a more sustained tone from the guitar longer than a traditional mount of the string to the bridge. A solid connection also yields a more full tone during play because in addition to string vibration energy being transferred into the guitar body cavity from the guitar body top, vibrations of the string or strings is also transferred directly to the guitar body through the string mount. This has been found to be most advantageous for a steel string instrument.
The common means of mounting a string to a guitar at the guitar bridge is by use of a tapered pin in a guitar bridge hole. The pin is typically made of plastic, bone or wood and is a poor conductor of acoustical waves. The pin has a shallow slot along its side in which the string fits. When installed, the string is inserted into the guitar bridge hole, followed by the pin with the string inside the pin slot. The guitar string is then pulled until an enlargement at the string end, typically a ball or some other equivalent, is pulled up against a bridge plate and the pin. The pin is then pushed down securely into the bridge hole and the string is tightened at its other end as necessary to achieve a desired musical pitch when made to vibrate in the normal manner of playing the guitar.
To replace the string, which is necessary when it breaks and also when the string ages and loses its tone, the pin is removed by pulling it out of the bridge plate hole. Repeated removal and installation of the pin can damage the pin and more commonly will damage the guitar bridge hole. When the guitar bridge hole is damaged, it must be repaired. Typically, this requires redrilling the hole to an enlarged size and replacing the pin with a larger pin. A better method would be to provide an anchor that does not require removal and reinstallation during string replacement and achieves a more solid connection between the string and the guitar bridge to conduct string acoustical wave energy to the guitar bridge and hence to the guitar body.